White Rose Gala

If I had managed to forget about the upcoming White Rose Gala on New Year’s Eve, it wouldn’t last for long. I have been getting daily reminders about this over-the-top celebration for what seems like weeks now. So for those of you who have not been inundated with the details already, read on.

This particular New Year’s bash is custom made for the ADD generation. It goes from black tie ball to dance club to bikini pool party to hangover brunch, and you’ll never need to leave the premises. It kicks off early with a black-tie optional cocktail party in the lobby of the Westin Westminster, and moves into a progressively wilder dance party as the hours grow later. After midnight, the dance party moves to the second floor pool area, where a bikini fashion show, indoor heated pool and oversized hot tub for 14 set the mood for a splashy bash until the sun comes up (or the party crashes, whichever comes first). The DJs continue to spin until 11 a.m. on New Year’s Day. And though the rooms at the hotel aren’t quite sold out, organizers have arranged to send buses into downtown to scoop up partiers from several locations; at 5 a.m., 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. they’ll send them back home.

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Killer party, or total overkill? That’s up to you. Any other year I might be tempted to go for it, but this year I’ll be laying a bit lower, having dinner with friends, catching the downtown fireworks, and then hitting the DeVotchKa New Year’s Eve show at the Ogden.